


Reflections of Doubt

by Magi_Silverwolf



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Intelligent Harry Potter, Introspection, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 12:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16640000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magi_Silverwolf/pseuds/Magi_Silverwolf
Summary: Harry Potter looks around him and what he sees just makes him sotired





	Reflections of Doubt

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the original canon nor am I making any profit from writing this piece. All works are accredited to their original authors, performers, and producers while this piece is mine. No copyright infringement is intended. I acknowledge that all views and opinions expressed herein are merely my interpretations of the characters and situations found within the original canon and may not reflect the views and opinions of the original author(s), producer(s), and/or other people.  
> Warnings: This story may contain material that is not suitable for all audiences and may offend some readers. Please exercise understanding of personal boundaries before and during reading.
> 
> Author’s Note(s): Something that had always bothered me about the Epilogue (and part of why all my works end up Not Epilogue Compliant) is all the implications of how nothing changed after the war. One would imagine that these people would be a bit more proactive about erasing the ideals that led to the war in the first place. But they learned nothing and that’s the true tragedy of the series, I think.

-= LP =-   
Reflections of Doubt   
-= LP =-

 

If there was one thing that Harry learned after the war, it was that some battles never truly ended, no matter the cost that had been paid. He watched as the dust settled from the Battle of Hogwarts and saw that nothing had changed. Purebloods were still forgiven by the virtue of people wanting to forget that they had been ruled by Voldemort for nearly a year while doing  _ nothing _ . None of the laws passed during his regime or before were repealed, even with a member of the Order taking over as the Minister of Magic. Harry had never entered the fight with Voldemort for the entirety of the world, but it still stung that he had  _ died _ for them, only to find that it changed  _ nothing _ .

 

There were times when he thought that it would have been better to walk away—to just take Teddy and Andromeda off to some place like Australia or Canada and leave them all to their own devices to stew in the shit of their own making. Then he would see Hermione arguing over a piece of legislation, alight with passion and  _ trying  _ to improve things, or George would ask for his input on a project, his brown eyes haunted by the loss of his twin. Every time, Harry would hesitate and then decide to stay. It didn’t matter when Ron started acting like a git again, taking out his frustrations on whoever was in his sights regardless of their connection to his troubles or when Ginny started making noises about wanting to get back together despite how much he tried to explain that he didn’t think they were a good fit.

 

Harry went into the Auror Corps just like he had once suggested to McGonagall he would. It wasn’t terrible. The physical effort of it helped him sleep. Shortly after the restoration of Hogwarts had finished, Harry had started having weird dreams where he relived not just the War itself but also various things from his childhood. The exhaustion from training left little energy for such nightmares. He didn’t mind the mental effort either. It was nice to not have to worry about upsetting Hermione by studying off her schedule, to be able to slow down or go faster as he needed. He didn’t want to continue fighting but he also couldn’t deny that he was damn good at it.

 

The problem was his co-workers. Prejudice ran rampant in all of them, despite the rarity of the murderous intent that had marked the Death Eaters. In many ways, that annoyed Harry more than things simply not changing after the War. How could he convince someone like Ron, who was a bit of a git but overall a good person, that treating someone like a bumbling child for not having magic was just as bad as wishing them dead for the lack? Or someone like Mrs. Weasley that no, it wasn’t actually reasonable to worry about the threat of a werewolf losing control outside of the influence of the full moon?

 

All of it, he thought in his more morose moments, was perhaps the reason that someone like Voldemort could have come to power in the first place. Continuing on as they had before the war had broken out would not prevent another one from happening. They needed to change! They needed to grow! They needed to reflect on the course that had brought them to war in the first place and the  _ inaction _ that had killed so many.

 

If he was a better person, maybe Harry would start the arguments necessary to force them to do the necessary reflection. He would start giving the demanded interviews and talking about the need for self-examination. He would talk about the way small bits of prejudice could condense into the fuel for larger ones, just waiting for a spark to incite another war.

 

But he was tired of being their mirror, of being whatever they wanted him to be. He wanted a chance to be just himself, to reflect nothing except the person he wanted Teddy to look up to and Andromeda to be proud of. He thought again about how people thought of werewolves and those born to werewolf parents, about how they acted as if they were monsters.

 

In the end, no amount of reflection could have made him force his godson to grow up in an environment where he was hated, as Harry himself had.

  
-= LP =-   
An Ending   
-= LP =-

**Author's Note:**

> Challenge/Competition Block:  
> Stacked with: Houses Competition (Term 3); MC4A  
> House: Hufflepuff  
> Year: 4th (In-House Stand-In)  
> Category: Drabble (200-750 words)  
> Additional Requirement: A sad occasion/event/emotion  
> Prompt: Reflection (theme)  
> Representation: xx   
> Bonus Challenge(s): xx  
> Word Count: 741


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